The Seven
by MagusThree
Summary: An old threat has now risen to seek harm to the two peaceful worlds. The draft has been initiated, and now a group of nine Data Knights must venture out to cull the rising dangers that hope to destroy the tranquility. AU and NO OCs.
1. Prologue: The Deadly Seven

_Author's Notes:_

_Whoo! My first fanfic~ I didn't expect it to actually turn into one, but here's the prologue! If you would like to see fanart for this story, go to Chronicler4's Deviantart page at : __.com/__ . That's where you'll find the cover arts and many other goodies once the story gets going._

_I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have writing it!_

**Prologue: The Deadly Seven**

When being chosen for the honor of becoming a Data Knight, you don't ever refuse. In reality, you can't, but there's not really any point to try. The dangers are great, but the rewards are greater.

The Data Knights can be traced back to the creation of a new world. A breakthrough in technology created Digital Monsters – or Digimon for short – and even an entire Digital World where the creatures reside. A second advancement took these creatures – which had served as toys and games for children and adults alike – and brought them into flesh and blood bodies in the Real World. Though sentient, they were not very advanced and they were kept as pets and, more often than that, slaves. The creatures were treated differently, misused, beaten, and all around oppressed.

Just as with all creatures, however, they slowly began to change over time. Some evolved, and this coined the term Digivolution. They grew larger, stronger, and some even began to mirror humans in shape. However, all the humans saw were greater uses of cheap, unpaid labor. The intelligence of the Digimon grew as their bodies did. A hatred for their slavers was planted and allowed to grow. At the time, the humans had nothing more than guns, and the Digimon began to wonder why they – the great, large, even armored monsters – had to be constantly mistreated by creatures that were weaker than them. They questioned and questioned, but never received any answers…

A group of Digimon finally rose against their masters in 2050. Lucemon, Seadramon, Devimon, Sangloupmon, Bakemon, Impmon, and LadyDevimon banded together after years of oppression and struck out at the humans. A war broke out, the Digimon breaking away from their human slavers and rising up with the seven instigators. These seven – known as the _Deadly Seven_ and named such because of the sins that brought them against man – led the vast armies of Digimon across the land, battling the failing armies of humans, conquering cities, and burning everything else to the ground.

The sinful Digimon continued to Digivolve, becoming vastly powerful and like nothing the humans had ever seen before. Lucemon, the angle Digimon of pride, became a chaotic version of himself as he grew arrogant in his strength. Seadramon, in his envy of what everyone else possessed, became the largest Digimon yet to form: Leviamon. Devimon's wrath twisted his appearance into the monstrous being known as Daemon. Sated by the blood of the humans he devoured, Sangloupmon became the lethargic Belphemon. Bakemon grew greedy, desiring everything on both worlds, and Digivolved to Barbamon. Impmon's gluttonous attitude made Beelzemon, one of the deadliest of the sins. The darkness in LadyDevimon's soul changed her into the lustful Lilithmon. Pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust; the demons of sin and the _Deadly Seven_ that nearly shrouded the world in darkness.

The Battle of Sin was where the _Deadly Seven_ were finally stopped. After terrorizing Earth for forty three years, a group of humans stood against them. Known only as the Chosen Ten, nine of the humans faced the seven Demon Lords. Their names have been lost to the test of time, and only their legend lives today.

The battle took place at the very site of Electron City, before it had been built, and it was there that the tides of war turned at last. Together with their partner Digimon – Digimon who were connected through what could only be fate to the Chosen Ten – they fought against the _Deadly Seven_. Belphemon was first to fall, and it was to the power of love that he was defeated. Beelzemon followed soon after, having broken to sincerity. Leviamon was banished by reliability. Lilithmon lost to the combined might of light and hope. Barbamon could not stand against the strength of knowledge. And it took the combined efforts of courage, friendship, and miracles to take down Lucemon.

Six of the terrible _Deadly Seven_ fell to the chosen warriors, but the humans had been injured as a result. They fell to their knees beside the bodies of their foes, unable to hold their strength. That was when the most cunning of the Demon Lords struck. Daemon, the sin of wrath, had watched and waited for the most opportune time. As the humans and demons fell, he finally swooped in. Daemon absorbed the data of his fallen comrades and took their power as his own. With their strength, he was ready to wipe out the fallen warriors…

But he was stopped by the tenth. The missing tenth came and saved the other warriors, falling into a battle with Daemon alone as a result. It was the tenth warrior against the strength of seven Demon Lords, and though the skill was great, it became clear that the battle would be lost.

The fight with Daemon also carried an unforeseen side-effect. The tenth warrior was corrupted by a great evil which consumed the heart. In the middle of the fight, the demon of wrath stopped and watched as the warrior fell to the ground, now fighting an internal battle. The demon's corruption was quickly taking over, but it also gave the warrior a power that no one could have expected.

With what little strength was left, the device that connected the warrior to the partner Digimon was lifted and, using the corroding darkness within, tore open a gate that led not to the Digital World, but a much darker, deadlier place. Despite his power, Daemon was unable to fight the pull into the gate. In his final act of vengeance, he dragged the warrior with him. The others tried to save their companion, but the gate closed before they could even move.

The battle was won, but the cost was great. The Chosen Ten had fallen to nine and they mourned the passing of their friend. Electron city was built by the remaining nine to remember the fallen warrior's brave sacrifice and they continued to work afterwards to separate the Digital World and the Real World.

It was two of the Chosen that formed the Data Knight squadron in 2118. Headquarters was placed in Electron city itself and is a place where those humans who are gifted with the very rare Digital bond go to train and become knights; defenders of both worlds against the evil forces that seek to do harm.

That was a century ago, and the Data Knights are still strong today. The Chosen Ten are remembered forever as the saviors of both worlds. Their battle, however, is far from over, for there is still a threat that lurks in the shadows; a threat that is looking for a chance to strike once again. Both worlds are in danger; the Data Knights are needed now more than ever before.

_This is a pretty short chapter that just sets up the world. Trust me, they will get longer. And you'll get characters that most of you will know in the next chapter. Comment, rate, and review! It'll help me keep writing this!_


	2. Chapter One: The Trial

_Author's Note_

_Chapter 1 is finally up. In reality we've actually had it for a while, but it took me a bit to go over it to make sure it's good enough to post. This chapter is a little slow but it will speed up in the next chapter. And as always check the link on the first page if you would like to see some cool fanart that will be posted as often as Chronicler4 can draw them. _

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter One: The Trial**

The young teen, sitting near the back most wall of the classroom, jerked up. He'd been resting his cheek in his hand while listening to the official that had visited their classroom that day. His hand had slowly started to slip out from under him. Davis quickly reoriented himself out of his sleepy daze and pretended to focus; another detention so early in the school year would infuriate his parents and Davis really didn't want to hear his sisters mocking words.

Apparently he had missed out of something; the officials had begun to move to each row of seated students and started to inspect them. Modesty was ignored, the officials lifting up shirts and invasively checking over every inch of the students.

What it was that the officials were looking for, however, they were disappointed in a majority of the students. There was one that one of the officials lingered around for a little while before telling him to get up and wait in the next room. Then they continued moving along as the kid moved with uncertainty towards the door.

When they got to Davis, they repeated the same process. They got him to stand and lifted his shirt. That was all that was needed; on his lower back, near the left side of his body, was a simple symbol. To the government officials, it was known as the Matrix; the mark that separated a child from the human race. The mark that meant they had a potential of becoming part of an elite group of people, the very group they had been talking about prior to the body search.

"Motomiya, Daisuke?" the large man asked gruffly, looking at a clipboard. "Please proceed to the next room if you would."

"What the heck for?" Davis demanded. His lips formed a scowl at the use of his full name, but he bit it back in favor of questioning the authority. What made him and the other kid so special they were signaled out from the rest of the class? As far as Davis was concerned, government or not, they had no right to just start shoving him around.

"Just go," he growled, pushing Davis non-too gently towards the doors. "If you had been paying attention during the presentation, perhaps you would have a better idea."

Davis shot the man a glare, pulling down an eyelid and making a rather rude face when he had turned his back. "Jerk..." Regardless, Davis followed through with what he was told. He nodded at the other boy in the room with him. Well, at least he wasn't alone in this mess.

They were forced to wait as the officials outside checked over the rest of the students. Only one other person joined them; a girl with a pleasant smile. Then the room was suddenly full of the black suites, all rechecking the mark on each of the three kids.

"You have two hours to pack your bags. You are allowed a small one and it should only have what you absolutely need. Then you will be picked up. Your parents will, of course, be notified."

"What!" Of course, Davis couldn't stay quiet. "Just like that? Right now? Hell no! You can't just-"

"Yes, we can. Now do not argue or we will be forced to take a more...physical approach. You have no say in this matter. Your parents cannot call you out of this. You will be briefed once you join with the rest of the candidates in Electron City."

Candidates? Electron- Oh! It finally clicked; Davis really ought to have been paying attention beforehand. Data Knights. That was the single, only reason to uproot a kid and bring them to that monster infested city. The young boy scowled as he was led off, back to his house to pack, for the last time he'd ever get to see his home again.

Suffice to say when they saw Davis packing, his parents knew what had happened. His mother was upset that her son was leaving home so soon and his father was nearly tempted to do something about it. They simply held no power over where he went.

Jun frowned, watching him pack. As often as they fought, he was still her brother...the survival rate for actually becoming a Data Knight was 65%, and even then they were rarely allowed home to see their families. It was taxing, having a candidate for knighthood as a family member...

Davis caught Jun peeking through the door. "You can come in ya know." he said flatly, a light sarcastic twinge to it. He'd already seen his mother's expression, so he forced himself to act calm and cool about it. It wasn't like he'd meant to make her upset.

The elder Motomiya child nudged the door open and stood there, frowning. She was matching Davis' act as she folded her arms and leaned to the side. "So...you're a lucky one, huh?"

"Yup!" Davis replied with a false grin. "Just wait! I'm gonna' be a famous hero." He struck an action hero pose as he said this, flexing his, not very impressive, arm muscles.

Jun laughed, though it sounded a little forced. "Uh huh. And I'm going to be the present of the world," she teased lightly. Then she sighed. "Just...be careful, okay? I expect to see you again."

The younger Motomiya sibling rubbed the back of his head and looked away. "Yeah... Don't sweat it! I'll be fine!" Davis asserted. He scooped up his single backpack, filled with as much as he could manage and thought he needed, and swung it over a shoulder. His fingers curled around the square-shaped goggles sitting and his desk and slipped them on.

"Damn right you will be." Jun punched him endearingly in the arm before hugging him lightly. "Show 'em just how great we Motomiyas are, huh?" She grinned before quickly letting go. "And that doesn't leave this room, got it?"

Davis' face was tinted red in embarrassment. "Hell yeah! No one hears about it!" He glanced towards the door. Those officials would probably be getting very impatience, he'd taken quite a bit of time as it was. "I'll visit." He said simply, nodding at his big sister before heading out. He would visit home, he'd said he would after all, and damn a Motomiya if they were stubborn and persistent as Hell.

Jun sighed and sat down on his bed, running a hand through her hair.

The officials were getting quite annoyed at Davis' almost complete disregard for the rules that have been established. After stopping to explain to Mr. and Mrs. Motomiya how much of an honor this was, they led Davis out to a sleek black, very important and obviously governmental car that was idling out front. "Take one long, last look, kid; you won't be coming back for a while."

The maroon haired boy sat up against the door. He rested against it and watched out the window. His life, everything he knew, getting smaller and smaller as the car pulled away from the neighborhood and then from Odaiba.

The City of Monsters as it was known as, Electron City was far away from any of the many human cities in Japan. It rested at the site of the Battle of Sins - the conclusion to the demon advance on mankind - and was impossible to get into without being in one of these cars.

The drive there took well over five hours, and they crossed many different terrains during that time. The first glimpse that they got of the city was a glint in the distance. Electron City was very metallic, all of the buildings being some kind of chrome metal. In the light of the dying sun, it glimmered like a jewel on the horizon. As they got closer, monsters could almost immediately be seen. The dreaded Digimon grew in numbers as they got closer and closer to the city, and once they passed through the gates, there were far more Digimon than humans. Obviously the government officials didn't mind this one bit.

Davis was as captivated as he was terrified of the Digimon. He'd never seen one of the monsters, not a real one anyway, up that close before. "Whoa.." His eyes caught on a large dinosaur-like monster and his gaze followed it as the car sped past towards its destination. The amazement was almost enough to banish the thought of the Data Knights initiation ritual from Davis' mind.

"Very impressive, isn't it? This city is the only place where they are guaranteed safety," the driver answered Davis' reaction, not even bothering to look up. "It's safer here than even in the Digital World for their kind. And you're going to help keep that safety." All if he passed the test, of course. Davis nodded, only half listening.

The headquarters of the Data Knights was a massive complex comprised of multiple interconnected buildings. Davis likened it in appearance to a high tech, new age, version of a medieval castle. It was just as metallic and sleek as the rest of Electron City.

"That's where I get to live?" Davis asked, jaw dropping as he pressed to the window to try and see it better. If he was permitted to roll down the window, his head would have been sticking out eagerly.

"Yes. You will be getting a room in the squire wing for your time waiting for the test. When you pass, you will be moved on to that smaller wing known as the knight wing. It is there you will be assigned a group and begin your duties as an honorable Data Knight."

If the car ride up to the complex was something, the walk in through the gates was something else entirely. The boredom of the extensive car ride was washed away completely. Davis wore a grin, stretching all the way across his face, as his gaze snapped from one thing to another. He would stop to look at something and be forced into a jog to catch up with the officials. It was a pretty typical reaction, so they were patient with him. When the kids got to the city was when they weren't as strict about time management. Still, they had places to go.

There were many squires in the squire wing, most talking avidly about the test they were soon to take. It became an obstacle course to get through them and to the single room that would serve as Davis' for his stay here in this wing. "You will follow the schedule on your desk and be on time for everything. There are things for you to do around the place while you wait for the day of your test, and you can choose to take some classes on the history of Digimon."

Classes? Boring! "Yeah, got it." Davis responded, tossing his bag on the bed and taking a look around. Pretty simple, basic, clean and boring room with zero personality. These were only temporary anyway, the knights who passed and were allowed to stay were in another wing... of which Davis intended to find. Talking to other candidates would be useless, Davis wanted to really hear what the test was. When left to his own devices, it was long before Davis was avidly wandering the compound.

There was no separation of the many people that were living within the citadel. Knights mingled with squires, teachers spoke with government officials, there seemed to be less rules and regulations. At least around this time of the year, when it was time to ascend more squires into knighthood. There would be more monitoring after this time passed.

The knight's section of the castle was calmer than the rest, and there were many more monsters there. Partner Digimon, of course, and it wasn't unusual to see a human and Digimon laughing and having a good time together.

"Look out!"

Davis' hands shot out and caught the soccer ball that had been sailing directly at his face.

"Whoa! Nice catch!" The older boy was a knight as evidenced by the orange dinosaur type monster at his side. Judging by his age he must have been fairly new. Most kids weren't taken from their families at too young an age. Davis estimated the brunette was only a few years older than him. Davis' eyes were quickly drawn up to the knight's head and the massive poof of brown hair that stuck up from it. A set of rounded goggles kept the hair from the older boys face. "Heh, sorry about that. I'm trying to teach Agumon to play soccer, but he's not very good."

"I'm plenty good!" the Digimon protested.

"Sure, if only you could aim." his human partner teased. He struck a hand out at Davis. "I'm Tai, and this is Agumon. You must be new here huh?"

"Yeah. Name's Davis." he nodded. "Hey! Mind if I play?"

"Sure!" Agumon nodded. "The more the merrier, right, Tai?"

The older boy laughed and ruffled Davis' hair. "Right!"

"Looks like Tai found a new friend," the blond at the other end of the hall laughed, shaking his head. He ran a hand through his spiked up hair.

"Hopefully he doesn't get too attached to the kid, though; you never know who's going to come back and who isn't," his partner pointed out.

"True, true. Not sure if Tai knows that, but I guess he'll just have to learn it eventually..."

Davis lay on his back, limbs splayed out and panting. Tai sat up, back against the wall, in a similar state of breathlessness with Agumon next to him. The elder boy chuckled as his breathing began to catch up with him. "I gotta' say, Davis, you're a really good player!"

"Thanks!" Davis swallowed, trying to urge the cavern of his mouth to wet back up and make both breathing and speaking easier. "Hey, Tai, Agumon, can I ask you somethin''?"

The tone caught Tai's attention. He leaned forward, resting his arms across his knees in the process. "Sure. What's up?"

Davis frowned, trying to find the best way to word it before just blabbing the first thing to come to mind. "What's the test like? Ya know, for the knighthood and stuff." With all the stories passed around it was only natural he'd be worried.

Tai took a moment to adjust the way his goggles sat on his head before speaking up. "For the test, they send you to the Digital World. You don't get any gear so I'd recommend learning how to build a fire and find food pretty quick."

Davis pushed himself up on his elbows, giving Tai his full attention. "Why?"

"Because they leave you there for three days. If you come back with a Digimon partner great. If not..." Tai trailed off with a frown. The ritual was... barbaric in some manners, but essential for weeding out those who wouldn't be able to handle the task of being one of the Data Knights.

Agumon smiled reassuringly. "I wouldn't worry too much about it, Davis. You've got good legs, you can run really fast!"

Davis cracked a grin and laughed at that. "Sure can! And by the way, I'm not worried. I'm gonna come through with flying colors."

"That's the spirit!" Tai beamed. That was the spirit. He'd seen some kids around who looked like they were going to be sick just thinking about the test.

A task came for Tai's Data Knight Squad a little while later that day and the blond boy with the Gabumon came to grab him. "Hey...Davis, right? I think they just put up when your test is on the board out front," he said, leaning to the side with his hands in his pockets and smiling lazily. "We got a job, Tai; something about a rogue Airdramon causing problems in the Digital World."

"Izzy, Joe and the others are all waiting for us," Gabumon interjected, grinning brightly as his tail wagged lazily behind him. "Sora says she's going to get Biyomon to fly your soccer ball to the top of the building again if you don't hurry up."

"Not again!" Tai groaned. He quickly pushed himself up, tucking the ball under his arm. "Duty calls, see ya when we get back, Davis."

"Good luck getting ready for your test!" Agumon added. "Tai! Wait for me!" He shouted, lagging behind his partner.

"Thanks!" Davis called after them. He continued to lay there for a few minutes after the knights had left before the motivation hit him to move.

The area in front of the board was filled with other candidates. Each one was scrambling to see when their test was, while others hung back too nervous to want to see. Davis weaved his way in with the crowd, standing up on his toes to scan the sheet for his name. Motomiya, Daisuke, right near the top of the list.

His test was surprisingly soon; only in two weeks. Though there were others that had their tests in one week, in a few days, and even in a few hours. Being new, he got the luck of the draw to wait for a while. However, it was a good opportunity to take Tai's advice and learn survival techniques. The classes are offered, but not required, as that was part of the test; could the kids take it upon themselves to learn the essentials before being stuffed into the Digital World or are they too overconfident in their own abilities that they put the training off until it's too late? It was barbaric, yes, but very effective.

In the end, Davis had opted out on the classes. He had a more effective teacher anyway.

"No, no, no!" Tai laughed, hands on his hips and shaking his head. "Like this!" He reiterated, showing Davis how to build a fire.

Davis was on his hands and knees, eye level with the fire and watching Tai's motions intently. "I'm doing that!"

"No, you're doing this." Tai snickered as he copied the younger boys rather over enthusiastic fire-starting method. "You're putting the flame out before it even gets going."

"Oh."

"Well if you're lucky, you'll find your partner right away." Agumon said, chuckling as he watched. "And they'll be able to breathe fire like me!"

"The odds of getting a Digimon that can produce flames are rather low. In fact, it's around a 30% chance and that number depends on what partner Digimon have already been claimed." A new boy had come to hang out with Tai today, mostly because he had been ordered to leave his computer for an hour or else it would be confiscated. No one understood the need for it. "But you could get lucky."

Both Tai and Davis wore identical expressions before Davis raised a brow. "Uh huh.. You wanna' try that again in Japanese?"

Agumon shot the insecticide Digimon a look. "I really don't know how you understand what Izzy's saying half the time."

"Talent, lots of practice...and a whole lot of clarification," Tentomon answered, looking to his partner. "You really should learn how to speak the language that everyone else speaks."

Izzy shook his head before smiling apologetically at them. "Sorry, I keep forgetting." He thought for a moment. "Normally the odds of getting a Digimon that can breathe fire are low, so it's probably doubtful that he'll get one. But maybe he'll get lucky?" he tried again, slower and clearer.

Tai clapped the shorter boy on the shoulder. "There ya go!" He glanced back at his protégé whom was back to struggling with the fire. Mimi had giggled when she'd met the younger boy earlier in the week, but still hadn't told Tai why. Though, the brunette had a good feeling Mimi had told the others, due to all the amused looks they'd shoot when Tai was with Davis. They were simply wondering how long it took before Tai noticed he was mentoring a miniature version of himself.

Davis' face lit up when smoke and finally a spark caught. "Ha! Got it!"

"Oh goodie! Then you're already doing better than Tai," Tentomon laughed jokingly, giving the impression that he was smiling behind that red helmet.

Izzy joined his partner in the joke, giving Tai an apologetic look. "Now to be better than me, you just have to remember to eat," he told Davis.

"Yes, please eat. Don't terrify your partner like he did," the insect practically begged.

Davis laughed and shook his head. "I doubt that'll be a problem. It'll be me finding food to eat that'll be the problem!"

"Well, despite what it looks like, most of the fruit there is edible." Tai nodded. "Just er... stay away from the mushrooms."

"And there's plenty of fish to eat too." Agumon added helpfully.

The younger goggle-head nodded, soaking the information in and would hopefully remember it. The day of his test was approaching fast then he thought.

"You'll do fine," Izzy said with certainty, waving a hand. The fact that Davis was like Tai attested to that easily. "The odds are in your favor; you're seeking help from those who have already passed."

"Translation: You're a sure win!" Tentomon said helpfully.

"And if Izzy says so, it's gotta be true!" Tai beamed and gave a thumbs up.

The confidence was easy enough for Davis to soak up. "Haha yeah! That test will be a piece of cake!"

_End of Chapter One. Please comment, rate, and review! It'll keep us going!_


	3. Chapter Two: Davis in Wonderland

_Author's Note:_

_Chapter two is now here. It's finally starting to speed up, or at least isn't as dull and action-less as the last one. Mostly Davis focused but with a nice and welcome guest coming in. _

_Enjoy~ _

**Chapter Two: Davis in Wonderland**

Davis waited impatiently. Again, he was only half listening to what he was being told. Instead, the candidate's eyes and attention were more closely focused on the strange group of people he'd been called to meet. Today was his test and apparently these, er… people (?), and were the overseers.

The first and also the one currently outlining what the test would be about – though Davis had heard it all before from the older kids - was an old man. Really old man. Ancient old man. He was short too, not quite reaching Davis' own shoulder height. Any hair he had on his head was pulled up into a tie and a mustache settled on his lip. The elder dressed in unique darkly colored robes. It was the two quiet guys behind the old man that really stole Davis' attention.

It, sorry _he_, was a little round thing no bigger than a softball. Two little feet with claws and two arms protruded from the ball, along with a set off white wings. His feet were protected by a few belts wrapped around them and he carried a spear in hand. Head to toe the Digimon was covered in short, coarse, pink fur that became beige around the face.

The last and most commanding presence was held by the large guy in the back. A centaur. That was the only real way to describe it. The upper body was that of a well built and dark skinned human man, while the lower half became that of a horse. The head was topped by a Romanesque helm and his right hand was a sort of canon-like object with his left shoulder bearing a shoulder-guard.

Gennai, Piximon, and Centarumon if Davis remembered correctly.

"…and at the end of three days the gate will be reopened for you and your partner to pass through. Any questions?" Gennai finished, watching the candidate through squinted eyelids.

"Huh?" Davis blinked a few times before it registered that Gennai had stopped speaking. "Uh no! Got it." He grinned and nodded. "I'm totally ready to go!"

Gennai chuckled, arms folded behind his back. He stepped away and gestured Davis towards the computer sitting on the desk. "Then just step up to the gate. Good luck to you."

Davis followed the instructions. He looked back at Gennai gesturing at the computer monitor. "Wait, okay now I have a question. What am I supposed to do with this-WHAAA!" The bright light from the computer died down. Davis, on the other hand, had vanished as well.

Piximon snorted, folding his arms and shaking his head. "Another rash one. This can't end well."

The larger Digimon turned his gaze down. "Do you think so?" Centarumon asked. "I believe he had a fair shot. What are your thoughts, Gennai?"

The digital humanoid merely chuckled softly. "For now, we'll have to wait and see. Who knows? Those goggles seem to bring the kids good luck."

The gentle, artificial, glow of the television screen lit up foliage around it. Any sense of calm and peace were swiftly shattered by the loud yelp that broke their air. Davis fell free of the portal. He hadn't been prepared for the landing and ended up tripping over his own two feet. Davis spluttered as he pushed his upper body off the ground and spat. Chunks of dirt that had been inserted in his mouth on impact with the ground splattered back on the forest floor. The foul taste lingered in Davis' mouth as he continued to spit for a moment before he gathered his wits.

The Digital World.

Davis raised his chocolate brown eyes from the ground and was instantaneously assaulted by a vast array of bright and saturated colors. The Digital World may have resembled the Real World in a few ways, but in many more it shined uniquely. The forest Davis found himself in was beautiful. Trees stretched into sky, branches rose towards the sun, far higher than any Earth tree could reach. The floor of the forest was littered with bushes and flowers ranging from small bushes with red leaves, to tall, flowing, sets of plants with white petals.

There was only one word to accurately portray the candidate's first impression of this world.

"Whoa."

Davis picked himself up as he kept looking around himself. It was amazing. It was like something out of a fantasy role playing game, though Davis was more into the shooters, and kept him captivated. This place was nothing like the room Davis had just been in, yet still he was standing here. It was hard to imagine that this world ran right alongside the one he was used to.

"Okay, Davis, you know what to do." Davis muttered to himself. "Tai and everyone helped you prepare and there's no way you're gonna fail this. First, you need to find a place to set up camp before it gets dark. Second, quit talking to yourself." he added with a light smirk of amusement.

His sneakers crunched against the dirt as he chose a direction and headed off. Peaceful was the word for it. A walk in the park, so to speak. Davis' head slowly turned around as he walked, absorbing everything. A soft breeze rustled the leaves in the trees and he could also hear, and even spotted a few, small birds. So far there were no horrible monsters out for his blood. A grin began to climb its way onto Davis' face. He and the other candidates had been worried over nothing!

The path Davis chose brought him to a lake. A small beach area was set up along the water's edge. At the center of the lake a small barren island sat, connected to the main land by a narrow bridge of earth. Davis did a double take, then squinted his eyes. Sure enough, a tram car was sitting on the island. It looked to be in perfect condition.

"Oookay, because that's not weird at all." He raised his brow at the very out of place sight. "Wonder if this entire place has weird stuff like that around?"

No point in not taking a quick little jaunt over to investigate. Davis slowed his jog as he came up to the tram car. The door was open so he had no problem getting inside. Empty. Davis's finger tips brushed the seats as he carefully explored around. It was at the back that he found anything remarkably interesting. The sight brought a wide grin to his face. Etched into the metal wall were names. Matt Ishida. Tai Kamiya. JP Shibayama. Sora Takenouchi. Henry Wong. Along with several others. Left on the back seat was a sharp stone with an edge perfect for scratching out characters.

Davis, naturally, scooped it up and found an untouched section of the wall. His tongue poked out as he carefully etched out the characters that made up his name. Davis Motomiya. The boy nodded in approval.

The seats were rather comfy Davis decided as he sat back. His gaze drifted out the window as he thought of his plan of action. Fire and food. Tai had made sure to stress those two things along with finding shelter. The bus was rather comfy and with the sun heading towards the horizon as it was, Davis figured it would be a good place to set up for his first night.

First: wood. The place was a forest. Easy enough to gather a decent amount of wood for a fire. Davis left the set up near the tram car before setting his sights on the second task: food. Davis definitely wanted to have something to eat before the sun went down. He was right on a lake, so he reserved fishing for when he got back. For now, Davis scoured the foliage, searching for a tree or bush that would produce some fruit.

The tree he spotted was perfect. Its trunk was wide and stretched high into the sky. The branches hung low enough it would be easy to climb. Most importantly, however, its branches were thick with healthy green leaves and bright, juicy looking, pink fruit.

"Jackpot!" Davis grinned. He broke into a run, taking a running jump to grab a branch and pull himself up. The hem of Davis' shirt was pulled out and used to basket the fruit he collected. When he couldn't carry any more, the goggle head got up and carefully started picking his way down the tree. He tossed a piece of fruit up and down on his way back to the tram car before taking a bite out of it. Sweet juices ran down Davis' chin of which he used his sleeve to wipe away. It was surprisingly good.

Davis had made it roughly half way back to his chosen camp site for the night when he spotted it. His first monster was sprawled on the ground directly in his path. It looked like some whacked out rhino-triceratops fusion. Its body was mostly an off white grey color with the top half of the body covered by thick black armored plating. A single horn protruded from the monsters nose. Davis nodded to himself. Probably best not to disturb something a good deal bigger then he was. So, Davis began to pick his way away from the large Digimon, giving it plenty of room. Walking around it, however, didn't stop Davis' foot from colliding with a stone. The rock shot forward and collided with the base of a tree, giving off good thunk.

The human froze. A grunt came from his left where the monster was laying. Ever so slowly, Davis turned his head towards the monster. It was up and it was displeased. Teeth were barred and its head had been lowered to the ground as it got to its feet. One of the forelegs pawed the ground in a classic charging position. Now, what was it Tentomon had said once? Some Digimon could be extremely territorial?

The fruit bounced on the forest floor as Davis took off. The rhino Digimon roared, the sound echoing in the air, and took off after Davis. In the back of his mind, Davis was grateful for his passion for soccer. He ducked around trees and bushes. When Davis broke into a clearing in the forest he turned and took a glance back over his shoulder. The monster crashed out of the tree line after him. Unlike the smaller, weaker, human, the rhino Digimon was running straight, trusting its strength to simply knock the obstacles out of the way.

A crackling sound reached Davis' ears and he darted left and back into the trees. He couldn't resist looking back, only for his speed to falter as his jaw dropped.

"That thing breaths fire?"

The monster took a wider turn, slowing down a fraction to make the turn and follow Davis. The teen turned his attention forward, bringing his speed back up. He didn't even take the time to stop and wonder about the rather random vending machines in the middle of the forest.

"This sucks, this sucks, this sucks!" Davis shouted, pumping his legs. Branches snapped and cut across his exposed skin. The roar of the Digimon, he would later remember it's species to be called Monochromon, not far behind him.

There! Davis' eyes caught a cliffside rising towards the skyline. He cut another quick turn, using a tree to help make the turn quicker, and bolted for where the rock formation produced a cave. Davis ducked inside. He pressed his back to the rocks and covered his mouth to try and still his rapid and frantic breathing. Davis tried to swallow his fear and keep it down. Loud, earth shaking, thuds of the Monochromon's feet on the earth showed he wasn't far behind. With no way of accurately telling the time, Davis had pressed his back further into the rock and waited. Finally, it had felt like an eternity to Davis, the Monochromon gave up and walked off.

The adrenaline drained from Davis' system. His shaking legs gave out under him and he sunk to the ground. Davis sat there for a good while until he could will himself to calm down.

The cave stretched further in. Davis cast a glance back outside. It wasn't unreasonable to think the Monochromon was still somewhere close by out there… Cave it was. Davis kept a hand on the wall, running his fingers along the stone as he headed further inside the cave. Curiously, even further in the cave it was still fairly well lit and easy to see; Davis chalked that up as being just another strange phenomenon of the Digital World itself. The cave stopped at the back, expanding into a circular shaped room with a high ceiling. Centered in the room was a mound of dirt and the oddest thing Davis had seen yet. It was a small cube-ish thing made of metal. It seemed to emit its own, golden, glowing light that bathed the chamber.

"Wow, that's some night-light." Davis murmured.

He stepped up to the oddly formed thing. Curiosity got the better of him and Davis found himself walking around to see it from all angles before he started prodding at it with a finger. His hands slid around it, cupping the item between them, and Davis pulled. It came easily, its weight in his hands feeling practically like air. The object in his hand was quickly brushed aside when Davis' attention was drawn to the pillar of light that had sprung up from where the object had been sitting.

Within the pillar something or another began to take shape. Davis squinted his eyes against the golden light, but couldn't make it out. Not that it mattered really, because the creature's first action on leaving the light was to throw itself at Davis.

"You're finally here!"

The creature's arms wrapped around Davis. The teen hadn't been expecting that sort of thing at all and with a yelp fell backwards, hitting the ground with the excited monster on top of him.

"Hiya! I'm Veemon, but you can call me Veemon! What's your name?" The little dragon Digimon spoke with a lisp to his words. Despite the fear the Monochromon monster had brought to Davis, the lisp and the two big red eyes beaming down at him made it rather hard to be even a little scared or worried. The dragon was mostly a light blue in color with his muzzle and belly scales white. His tail was wagging like a dog's might in the Real World and the two large ears on his head were upright.

"I'm uh… Davis. Hi." Davis replied, blinking a few times. "Do ya mind getting off me?"

"Huh?" One of the ears tipped up before Veemon seemed to realize he'd tackled his new friend to the ground. "Oops! Haha, sorry!" He hopped off, rubbing the back of his head. Veemon thrust a hand out towards Davis. The human accepted, letting Veemon pull him up into a sitting position and, thus, approximately leaving them leveled as far as height went. Veemon grinned brightly. "Nice to meet ya, Davis!"

"Yeah, same here, Veemon." Davis mirrored the bright grin with one of his own. At first, he'd been wondering how he would even know which Digimon was his partner. That had cleared up the moment he'd seen the little blue guy. He just knew.

Davis picked himself up on his feet before he took notice of the device in his hand. The golden object had formed itself into a Digivice, just like the ones the older knights possessed. Davis, impossibly, grinned brighter and clipped the device to his belt before he held a hand out for Veemon. "Okay, Veemon. Whatta ya say? We're partners?"

The dragon Digimon took his hand and nodded. "Was there any doubt about it?"

"Great!" Davis stood upright and pumped a fist. "Let's go then, I wanna get back to camp before the sun goes down."

"Sounds like a plan, Davis." Veemon agreed. He settled himself right at Davis' side as they exited the cave. He tilted his head to the side when he noticed Davis glancing around cautiously at the cave's mouth. "Something up?"

"Huh? No no, it's all cool." Davis waved a hand with a reassuring smile. "It was this way, c'mon." He glanced down at his new partner. Veemon's tail kept thumping lightly against Davis' leg as it swayed back and forth. "So, what were you doing under that thing?" He still had a few days, plenty of time to get to know his own Digimon before going home.

The response didn't require any thought at all. "Waiting for you." Veemon smiled. "And now you finally came."

Davis' laugh was cut short by a snarl. Both human and Digimon looked up to see a still very annoyed Monochromon. The bigger monster opened its maw. Instincts kicked in and Veemon's hand curled around Davis' own and pulled. "Run!" Not a moment after they were moving did the ground where they had been standing go up in flames. As they picked up speed, Davis was soon the one pulling Veemon along, the Digimon's much shorter legs giving him a hard time keeping up.

"Doesn't this guy ever quit?" Davis shouted. For a third time now, a ball of flame whizzed by him.

"What'd you do to make him so mad?" Veemon asked, glancing back over his shoulder at the charging Champion level Digimon.

Davis cracked a meek grin. "Would you believe 'nothing'?"

"Not really." The dragon grinned back up at his human. Despite the danger, he couldn't help the elation of finally meeting his partner. The heat of flames licked behind them and Veemon tackled Davis into the ground. The pair rolled down a drop in the landscapes formation and hit the ground side by side.

A moan eased itself from Davis' lips. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and shook his head. To his utter dismay, his square shaped goggles were in pieces. The tumbling fall had cracked the lenses and snapped the worn band that held them on his head. A small cut opened the skin on Davis' forehead, no doubt where the goggles had stopped his head colliding with a rock on the way down.

"Davis! Are you okay?" Veemon hovered over him, ears tipped down a fraction.

It was Monochromon's roar that jolted Davis back into action. The broken goggles were abandoned on the ground while Davis grabbed Veemon's hand as he started running again. "Fine! Let's go!" They were almost back to where the tram car was Davis was sure only… A sight up ahead caused the human to skid to a quick stop, yanking Veemon back so the dragon Digimon didn't keep running passed him.

Veemon let out a yelp as his arm, the one with his hand connected to Davis, was jerked back. Cliff. A river rushing by at its base. Monochromon let out a roar. Another Volcanic Strike attack brewed before firing off at them. "Jump!" Veemon instructed.

"What?" Davis looked down at the dragon like he was nuts.

No time to second guess the course of action. Veemon jumped and pulled Davis with him. Davis flailed his limbs, screaming all the way down. The scorching heat of Monochromon's special attack passed harmless above them. The rhino monster didn't bother trying to follow them down.

Davis coughed, spluttering water out of his lungs as he pulled himself up on to the river bank with Veemon. The pair flopped side by side, sprawled out and soaking wet. What then started as a light chuckle developed into the two sharing in full blown laughter.

"Man! What a rush!" Davis said when finally his breath caught up to him.

"Yeah!" Veemon settled down shortly after. He smiled, head cocked to the side, as he gazed up at his partner. "So, this is gonna be a common thing for us?"

"Probably."

"Awesome!"

The pair made their way back to the tram car shortly after the sun set in the distance. They sat around the fire for a little while before heading inside the tram car to get some sleep.

Davis gave a wide yawn. All the running had really worn him out and he was starving too. First thing tomorrow they would find some food. A small shift in his lap brought his attention to the little blue monster. A fond smile graced Davis' lips. The little guy sure was brave. Pretty adorable too… ya know… if you were a girl who thought about that sort of thing. Davis hadn't even thought about sleeping arrangements, Veemon had simply flopped down in his partners lap and got comfy before he was knocked out like a light. It felt… right. Suddenly, the thought of never coming here seemed like a horrible plan. Davis adjusted his position to get a little more comfortable on the seats. He reached out, wrapping an arm around Veemon before shutting his eyes.

Two more days out here? No problem. At least he wouldn't be alone any more.


	4. Chapter Three: A Knight's Duty

_Author's Note_

_Sorry I was late in getting this chapter out. I was really trying for a once a week thing but I didn't count on a few interruptions, such as going to see Cats the Musical and celebrating my two year old cousin's birthday. So we made up for it by making this longer than the others. This will be the last chapter for this particular arc and we'll be moving on to the actual plot in the next one. _

_Also something to note is that my partner in this activity has found a job! Good for her! But bad for those of you who enjoy this story because now we don't have a lot of time to co-write like we've been doing. It might just be me writing for now on, which is scary because I don't consider my writing to be all that impressive alone. But hey, we'll see what happens, right? This WAS my idea to start out with so I can't be without hope. _

_Enjoy. And if you see any mistakes, please tell me and I will change them. _

**Chapter Three: A Knight's Duty**

The rest of those two days flew by with someone by his side. When the time was up and the portal reopened to allow him back into the castle of Electron City, Tai and most of his group were waiting anxiously. Izzy was most likely somewhere with his computer, but Matt, Tai, three girls, two other boys, and their respective Digimon partners were there. The older blond grinned lazily and clapped Tai on the shoulder. "Look at that, the kid made it."

"As if he wouldn't." Tai grinned brightly. "Hey, Davis! Over here!" The brunette waved a hand to catch the younger boy's attention.

Davis spotted it and b-lined over. He looked a little roughed up, but not too bad, with his Digimon following at his heels. "Tai! Matt! Guys check it out! I passed!" Davis grinned.

"Hello." Veemon smiled, giving a wave from beside his equally excited partner.

"Welcome to the group." Agumon smiled at the much younger Digimon.

"Yeah, great to have you," Gabumon said, nodding besides Agumon.

Matt grinned at the younger kid. "And guess what, Davis? Gennai already assigned you a group. You don't have to go through any more tests or initiations. You're the first one that's been automatically assigned, at least as far as I can think of."

"Seriously?" Davis blinked, looking confused. He got to be a special case? "What group huh?"

Tai beamed wickedly, ruffling Davis' hair like an affectionate older brother. "Welcome to the team, kiddo!"

It took several moments to sink in. "You mean...?" Davis' face slowly split with a wide grin. He grabbed Veemon, earning a yelp of surprise from the action, and spun them, jumping up and down. "Yeah! Whoo! I'm awesome! We're awesome, Veemon! This is the coolest thing ever!"

"Yeah it is." One of the girls, the youngest of the three, smiled brightly. She carried enough features that Davis could guess she was related to Tai. "It's great to have you on the team. My name's Kari, and this is my partner, Gatomon." The white cat besides her mock-bowed.

The younger blond boy stepped up. Simply by looks it was easy to tell this boy and Matt were related. "I'm TK and this little guy is Patamon."

The older redheaded girl held her hand out and Davis took it. "My name's Sora and this is my partner, Biyomon, and this is Mimi and Palmon."

"Welcome to the team!" Palmon beamed enthusiastically.

Her pink haired human half smiled as well. "It's good to see you passed."

"I'm Gomamon." the little white and purple sea-mammal Digimon greeted. "And this twiggy guy is Joe."

"Thanks for that." Joe rolled his eyes lightly. He stood with his hand on his hip as he gave his partner a slightly disproving look. "Sorry about him." Joe sighed a little and shook his head. "Izzy's in his room and Tentomon didn't think it was right to come down without him."

"Don't look now." Gomamon mused.

"Look at what?" Tai glanced up and over before his gaze found what the sea mammal Digimon was referring to.

The elder chuckled lightly as he approached. "No need to stop the celebrations kids, I just wanted to come congratulate our two newest knights." His squinted gaze turned to Davis and Veemon, the dragon still held up in the air due to his partner's celebration.

"Er... he means us right, Davis?"

"Uh huh."

Gennai smiled and nodded to them, looking to Sora next. It was well known to the other groups within the Data Knights that Sora was generally the one to talk to when you wanted something done. Their resident leader, Tai, was a bit too rambunctious. "Why don't you all show Daisuke and Veemon to their new room hmm? You'll get a few days off to get properly settled."

At the name 'Daisuke' Veemon's ears shot up. He aimed a betrayed look at Davis. "You said your name was Davis!"

"It is!" the human laughed. "Daisuke is my full name."

"Ooooh."

The red-haired girl nodded and smiled. "Of course. Come on, you two. We can pick up your stuff on the way to your new room in our special wing."

"You'll love it! It's got a great view of the outside field," Biyomon chuckled, flapping up to hover almost level with Sora's chest and smiling as much as a beak could allow. Sora turned and started leading the way, the others falling into step behind her. As they walked, Davis got a lot of congratulations from the knights and envious looks from the squires that had just passed their own test. He was lucky to be in a group already.

"Here we are." Patamon piped up. He flew ahead of the group and giggled brightly. "Home sweet home! This is our wing." he stated.

This wing was primarily owned by their group, considering the fair size of it. It looked the same as any other wing, but unlike the temporary candidate halls, these ones carried a feel of being lived in. A few stray objects had been left out in the hall itself, including one of Tai's soccer balls.

The eldest of the group nudged his glasses further up on his nose. "Let's see here. There's an empty room beside yours, right TK?" Joe asked.

The younger blond gave a nod in response. "Yeah, the one at the end of the hall."

"Well, we've got a few days to relax before we get a mission of any kind, so how about some soccer?" Sora offered, moving over and bending to pick up the stray soccer ball, smiling at the guys.

"I'm not very good, but I'll play," Kari said.

"Nah, I'm not a fan of soccer, but I'll watch," Matt declined, waving a hand.

"I'm in!" Davis and Tai said at the same time. They paused and shot each other a look, grinning.

"Think you're up for it, newbie?" Tai challenged.

"Oh heck yeah!" The two were already racing for the courtyard, Agumon tailing them and telling Tai to slow down.

Mimi sighed. "Boys."

Palmon shook her head, hands on her hips. "They're so silly!"

"I've gotta see this." TK beamed. "Come on, Patamon." he called, breaking into a jog to try and catch up to the two before they really got going, Patamon flying quickly over and level with TK's shoulder height.

"Hey, Sora?" Veemon asked, blinking up at the girl who still held the actual ball. "What's soccer?"

Sora smiled down at him. "Come on, I'll show you." She dropped the ball on the ground and started dribbling it down the hall after the boys with her feet, Biyomon following while cheering her on. Kari, Matt, Joe, Mimi and their partners followed at their own pace after allowing Veemon to pass them to follow after Sora.

Once the red-haired girl was outside, she punted the ball towards the boys. "Heads up!" she called, grinning brightly.

Kari laughed. "So what're the teams?" she asked, slowing down once they reached the field that they used for their soccer games.

"Well we'll need team captains. Tai and Sora?" Joe suggested. He really had no intention of playing himself, the knight wasn't really a sports person, but he did like to watch them having fun.

Tai pumped a fist. "Sounds good to me. Rock paper scissors, winner gets first pick?" His second statement was directed to Sora as he raised a fist in preparation to go.

Sora smiled. "What, no 'ladies first', Tai?" she teased lightly, also raising her fist.

"Tai said he doesn't consider you a-"

"Rock paper scissors!" Tai shouted quickly. He shoved Agumon behind him with a foot, shushing his partner up while flashing Sora a meek grin.

Sora quirked a brow but her grin only brightened as she mimicked the movement of Tai's fist. The game ended with her hand out, palm down, and Tai's still bunched up in a fist. "First pick for me, huh? Then I get Davis."

"Sorry, Tai." Davis laughed at the look of utter dismay on the older boys face. He stepped the few paces over to Sora's side of the field.

The brunette recovered and gave a look over his remaining options. "Alright, Kari, Gatomon, you're with me."

Biyomon laughed and waved at the other girls. "Best of luck."

"Don't bother going easy; one of these days I'll be as good as my brother!" Kari replied, waving lightly.

"Alright Veemon, time to learn how to play soccer," Sora said, nudging the ball over to him. "Care to teach him, Davis? He is your partner."

Veemon looked expectantly up at the maroon haired boy. Davis grinned, placing his foot on the ball and managing to knock it up and bounce it on his knees, head, and feet. "Okay, the biggest thing you need to know about soccer, Vee, is you can't use to your hands."

"So, you only get to kick the ball?" Veemon watched, admiring the skill his partner used when handling the ball.

"Right! And you gotta try to kick it into the opposite team's goal." Davis let the ball drop as he gestured to Tai's teams side of the field. "The team with the most goals wins."

Veemon nodded, ears upright to show he was paying full attention. "Sounds easy enough."

"Yep, it's really easy, at least for us. It's the trying to keep the ball from a brute like Tai that's difficult," Sora said, sounding a little too innocent. Oh she knew what she was like on the field, too.

"We're totally going to win!" Biyomon said happily, landing besides the group.

"It's a good thing Kari's a good sport," Sora mused, leaning back. It wasn't a secret that the youngest girl wasn't much of a player, not that Kari seemed to mind. It was all about having fun with her, and playing with her older brother. Of course the boys were more interested in trying to one up the other.

Mimi tilted her head up at Joe from the sidelines. "I sure hope they don't kill each other."

Joe laughed a little and rubbed his head. "Yeah, let's hope not. Alright guys, choose your goalies."

"Davis, you can be goalie, and Kari can be yours, Tai," Sora offered. That was a good way to make sure the girl didn't get accidentally hurt and she could take it a little easier because it wasn't her trying to beat Tai. At least not entirely. "Sound good?"

Davis rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah sure."

"What do I do?" Veemon asked.

Davis smiled, gesturing as he headed to the goal. "You can be my defense man. C'mon."

Tai nodded and gave a thumbs up. "Alright, everything sounds good! Let's get this game rolling!"

"Okay." Sora smiled innocently before kicking the ball, hard. And she called Tai the vicious player. Biyomon used her wings, but kept close to the ground so that it was fair, as the game officially started. Gatomon was the defense and Kari stood in front of the goal, hoping to do better this time than last.

"Go, go, Biyomon! Biyomon! Woooot!" Patamon, Palmon, and Gomamon shouted. The three Digimon had lined up on the sidelines to start cheering - though they did tend to cheer for whoever currently had the ball. Regardless, it was a good way for the group to spend the afternoon.

Joe chuckled, watching Sora neatly tackle Tai for the ball. She was just as competitive as he was. "Hey, where ya going, Joe?" Gomamon asked when he noticed his partner getting up.

Joe waved him off lightly. "I'm just going to check on Izzy. Make sure those two don't kill each other."

"Yes sir." the Digimon gave a mock salute before turning back to the game.

Said genius was where he always was; seated in front of his computer in his room, back straight and onyx eyes glued to the screen. Tentomon sighed, watching out the window. "Izzy, can't we go outside?"

"You can, Tentomon; I'm not requiring you to stay here," Izzy answered without missing a beat, having grown used to telling people to go do things without him. The bug sighed.

"But I think it'd be nice for both of us to go down and watch the game. Your computer will be right here when you get back."

"Sorry, Tentomon; I need this time to work on some things."

A knock sounded on the door before Joe simply nudged it open anyway. "Hey, Izzy. Hello, Tentomon."

Tentomon lifted a claw. "Hello Joe."

Joe nodded at the Digimon. "You know, there's a good chance you'll ruin your eyes if you stare at that screen all day."

"Perhaps, but the odds of that actually happening - at least at my age - are pretty slim," Izzy replied, glancing up from his computer. "What's up?"

Joe gave a light smile, hands stationed on his hips. "Everyone's outside having fun. You know, you could at least bring your laptop outside to come sit with us." He suggested. Not that any of them didn't respect each other's' privacy, but Izzy was on the computer far too much instead of spending time with the rest of the team.

"I don't trust my computer outside when Tai and Sora are playing soccer," Izzy replied. He did have a point there, considering how dangerous the games got between those two.

Joe rubbed his head. "Ah, yeah, probably not the best idea, but we are celebrating our new team members." He said and offered Izzy a hand. "Just for a bit huh? Your computer will still be here later you know."

"That's what I keep telling him!" Tentomon exclaimed, throwing up both claws. Izzy frowned lightly, looking back at the monitor.

"I have quite a bit I want to get done today..." he said hesitantly.

"Please, Izzy?" Joe asked. It was always a pain trying to coax Izzy out, but he made the efforts regardless. "You still need to catalogue Davis' partner for your Digimon Analyzer right?"

"That I do have to do...I had planned on doing that tomorrow, but perhaps I can change my schedule around a bit..." Izzy shifted a little, still unsure if he actually wanted to go.

"Come on, Izzy! Just for a little bit! You can enjoy the fresh air and watching Tai and Sora fight each other to the death!" Tentomon said.

Not that soccer matches like that weren't a fairly common occurrence for them. Joe ran a hand back through his hair. "If you really don't want to come, Izzy, that's fine, but you know we miss having you around." He gave the younger boy a light smile. It got a little frustrating, not that the younger boy's genius wasn't appreciated.

Izzy sighed, now feeling a little guilty. Still, it was hard for him to unplug because that was basically his life. "I will...come down after I finish this," he finally said, looking up at Joe.

A light smile graced the tall and lanky knight's face. "Alright. See you two in a bit then." He nodded to Tentomon again on his way out. The insect Digimon really was the more sociable half of the computer whiz.

Joe stepped back outside towards the field as Tai nailed the ball... and beamed Davis in the head. Veemon yelped, immediately running over to his partner who was holding his face in his hands and hissing lightly in pain.

Tai winced and jogged over. "Crud... Davis, you okay?"

"Oh, gosh!" Mimi gasped lightly. "He's bleeding."

"Way to get me right in the nose, Tai." Davis groaned. He looked up, a hand cupped over his face still with blood pouring at a decent rate out of his nose, and grinned regardless. "Still stopped it though!"

Agumon chuckled. "Sure did. We should probably get you cleaned up though."

"Looks like you've got a patient over here, Joe," Sora called, waving a hand to get the attention of the eldest. The girls and their partners hovered around the injured player.

Matt just chuckled from the sidelines. "You know, only the three of you can make soccer this dangerous a sport," he mused lightly, shaking his head. "I mean sheesh! You guys are vicious on the field!"

"They are, they are," Gabumon agreed, folding his arms and nodding wisely.

The others parted out of the way to let Joe, their resident expert when it came to medical issues, take a look. He gently moved Davis' hand aside. "Well, it's nothing serious. Let's get you to a bathroom to clean up though." Joe said, hands on Davis' shoulders to lead the younger boy to the nearest bathroom.

Veemon and Gomamon tailed after their respective partners. Veemon glanced down at the mammal, ears tipped. "Soccer's a dangerous game."

"Only when those guys are playing." Gomamon laughed, shaking his head lightly with a bright grin.

Sora shook her head, then grinned at Tai. "Good game, at least. Now we've got four willing players so it's not two on one anymore," she mused.

"It is more fun to watch, now, with three vicious players," Matt laughed.

"Only next time, try to watch where you're aiming." TK mused at the players. "You almost took my head off!"

"Sorry." Agumon sheepishly replied, earning a good laugh from the assembled group.

"We should probably head in," Biyomon said, looking towards the building. "I think it's almost time to eat, and I dunno' about you guys, but I'm hungry after all of that!"

"I agree!" Sora and Mimi replied at the same time.

"Then it's settled, let's go eat!" Tai beamed and led the way. He paused as they headed down the hall and waved. "Hey, Izzy! Finally coming up for some sunlight huh?" he teased.

"I was, but it looks like something happened and everyone is going inside," the genius observed, tilting his head to the side. Back to his room, it seemed.

"Knocked Davis in the nose with the ball." Tai laughed and rubbed the back of his head. Too late to retreat for Izzy though. Tai grabbed his shoulders and starting pushing him along with the rest of them. "C'mon, we're going down to the mess hall for dinner!"

"I hope they've got chocolate cake!" Patamon giggled eagerly. Meal time, most of the monsters favorite time of day.

"That sounds yummy!" Tentomon cheered lightly.

Izzy struggled for a few seconds before gave in to Tai's pushing, sighing as they passed his room. Oh well, probably a good thing that he ate before he forgot again. "You guys really get into your game," he commented, looking at Tai.

"That makes it all the more fun," Sora replied for him innocently, hands behind her back.

TK smiled and glanced over at Kari. "Well it could be worse. Kari could be as scary on the field as Tai." The girl was really far too sweet to imagine that. A nice, calmer, child compared to her far more active brother.

Kari returned the smile. "That's true," Gatomon said from Kari's arms. "But she's still brave to be going out onto the field with you three."

"I wouldn't call it bravery, I just like to have fun," the youngest girl stated. As if Tai would have let anything happen to his little sister anyway.

Joe, Gomamon, Davis and Veemon caught up with them in the mess hall. The hall was one of the largest rooms in the complex. It was made to fit all residents, including the Digimon, and thus required its grand size. The team they were looking for was seated at a long table pressed up against the back wall.

"Hey guys!" Veemon called, walking ahead of the others. A bandage was placed over the bridge of Davis' nose, but the blood had stopped.

"Man, that looks great!" Davis exclaimed, grabbing a seat. It was a common occurrence for Digimon to be big eaters. After all, they required the energy for battles and the like. TK was trying to stifle his chuckles as Davis and Veemon were filling their plates with an equal amount. The pair was practically drooling.

"Wow, looks like we found a pair that can eat more than Agumon and Gabumon," Matt mused, watching from his spot in front of a plate with a slightly less generous amount of food.

"Hey! I'll have you know that I can still eat more," Gabumon huffed, enjoying his own large plate. Over where she was, Gatomon just shook her head.

"It's a healthy Digimon appetite." Gomamon said, happily watching Joe fill up a plate for him with all his favorites. "And Davis is about as hyperactive as an in-Training Digimon." he snickered.

"Well they look like a bunch of pigs if you ask me." Mimi said, shying a little away from the two very hungry boys.

"Don't be like that, Mimi." Palmon smiled. "They did spend three days in the Digi-World. Even you had a big meal when we came back."

"Well at least I chewed my food before I swallowed."

"Well, you did for the most part," Sora laughed lightly. "There were a few times I thought you'd inhale the utensils, too."

"It is difficult to focus on basic mechanics when in a state of starvation," Izzy mused. He wanted to get back to his computer, but it was nice to unplug. At least for a little while. He had forgotten the fun conversations that their group had.

"Hmph." Mimi flushed with embarrassment, folding her arms.

Tai laughed and shook his head. "Aw c'mon, Mimi, don't be like that!"

Davis swallowed his food and beamed. "Man, this food is great!" He scowled and swatted Veemon on the head. "And quit stealing off my plate!"

"But there's no more of those good things!"

"Well there would be if you didn't keep eating only the desserts!"

The older kids made sure to stay out of the way of the two ravenous boys and the conversations fluctuated from the events of Davis' trial to some of the missions that they were expected to go on. None of them were ever really that dangerous so long as everyone obeyed their squadron leader and worked together with each other as well as their partner. Most of the missions simply involved beating down a rabid Digimon or locking away a criminal human. Simple stuff, really; whatever was required to protect both the Digital and the Real worlds.

So when it finally came time to send the group of eighteen on their next mission, and Davis and Veemon's first, the two new members were rearing to go.

Tai scanned over the sheet of paper with their mission specs ones more time before passing it off to Matt. He stood, shifting his hands to his hips. "Alright guys, this looks like a pretty easy one. You're typical take down a Digimon and head home deal."

"I think Gennai's giving us a simple job 'cause we've got Davis, now," Matt mused, shaking his head as he continued passing the paper around. "Oh well, I can't complain; that last one we dealt with almost scorched my hair off."

"Well, maybe it's time for a haircut?" Sora teased before holding up her hands. "Kidding! It actually doesn't look so bad."

"So if it's easy do we all need to go?" Joe asked, looking at the sheet from over Sora's shoulder. "There's not really a point to send all of us if we don't need to."

"Good point. How about we send the newer ones and Tai, and us older kids can stay behind and root from the sidelines?" Matt offered. "That way they can have practice and it's not all eighteen of us going."

"Sounds good." Tai nodded. "TK, Kari, and Davis can handle it and me and Agumon can jump in if we need to."

"We'll be able to handle it, right, Patamon?" TK smiled, looking at his partner.

"Right!"

"It'll be easy," Gatomon purred from Kari's lap, tail giving a lazy flick.

"When do we have to head out?" her partner asked, looking at Tai.

"We should get going right away. Grab you stuff and we'll meet at the gate." Tai said, nodding to them.

"Sweet! This'll be a piece of cake!" Davis pumped a fist.

The 'c' word brought Veemon's ears up. "Cake? You mean we get some after the mission?"

"Sure! A really good piece, too," Sora laughed, getting to her feet. "Good luck on your first mission."

Kari got to her feet as well and went to get the stuff necessary for the mission. Usually it was just nice to have the necessities, like small things of food, first aid, and some form of weapon for the humans in case their partners got tied up in a fight.

Transferring to the Digital World this time Davis managed to stay on his feet. He frowned when he looked around, the wind whipping his maroon hair. TK was forced to hold onto his hat or risk losing it in the wind. Tai nudged his goggles down over his eyes, protecting them from the sand.

"Hey! What's the big deal?" Davis asked. "Last time I was here it was a forest."

TK nodded. "The gate can send us to any location in the Digi-World, Davis."

"And it looks like this is where we have to be. It's going to take forever to get this stuff out of my fur!" Gatomon whined, ears flapping wildly in the wind.

Kari put an arm in front of her face. "It's not going to be fun fighting in this weather..."

"We'll just have to tough it out." Tai said. He pulled out his Digivice and checked the signal. The four dots clumped together would be them and the other red dot in the distance was their target location. "Alright guys, let's move."

Davis squinted his eyes. "If only I didn't break my goggles this would be way more tolerable."

"I don't think I'd wear them even if I had them," Kari commented as they began their trek through the crazy sandstorm. Gatomon ended up climbing into Kari's arms, her ears helping keep the sand off of the girl's face.

The red dot ended up being a very, very large red dot on a large rock formation. Upon seeing the kids large, red wings opened and a loud buzzing filled the air. Sand was pushed at them as the iridescent wings vibrated, lifting the enormous red bug into the air. A green jaw dropped open, revealing rows of sharp teeth, and the large, red pincers widened as it let out a roar. The eyeless, black-marked face focused on them, furious at the territorial intrusion and the threat that the humans obviously posed to it.

"Okay, what the heck is that!" Davis shouted, trying to guard his face from the stinging sand with his arm.

Agumon stepped up. "That's Kuwagamon; a champion level Digimon with a nasty temper!"

Tai looked back over the ground. The wind wildly knocked about his hair. "Alright guys! He's all yours!"

"Veemon!"

"On it." The dragon nodded, stepping up with his fists raised and ready to go.

Gatomon leapt out of Kari's arms and ran forward as well. "Let's turn this bug into catnip," she said, dashing forward.

Kuwagamon roared loudly and swooped at her, but he misjudged his strike and the pincers cleaved the air right above Gatomon. The cat yelped and ducked before wheeling around to watch as it disappeared into the sandstorm, circling back around.

Patamon flapped his wings and hovered above the other two Digimon. "Where'd he go?"

"You're the guy with the really big ears." Veemon quipped.

TK frowned, scanning the whirl wind around them. They'd need a way to take the bug down to the ground, on their level.

The bug made another dive, bursting out of the sand at their side. "Scissors Claw!" he growled, mandibles widening as he tried to separate the heads of the three Digimon from the rest of their bodies. Gatomon managed to pull Patamon down into the sand to save the little guy. "He chose a really good place to cause trouble..." she hissed, tail giving a nervous twitch.

"Don't worry guys! I got it!" Veemon shouted. He booked it after Kuwagamon before the beetle could take to the air again. One good jump and he grabbed the larger Digimon's leg "W-whooaaa!" Needless to say Kuwagamon was displeased. The insect thrashed, trying to shake the little dragon off. Veemon closed his eyes and held tight, claws on his hands and feet digging into Kuwagamon's leg as he held fast. His ears and tail flapped in the combination of the natural wind and from the wind generated off the Champion Digimon's wings. "Someone can help now!" Veemon shouted, voice sounding similar to someone talking into a fan due to Kuwagamon's rapidly buzzing wings.

"You're the one who jumped onto the angry bug," Gatomon snorted before running forward on all fours and leaping. Her hind legs were able to push her into the air and she grabbed onto one of the toes of the Kuwagamon. As the red insect thrashed and bucked, she used the momentum to propel her up onto his back. He was even less happy about that particular move and he took to the air, doing all the flips and dives he could to try and get the two Digimon off of him. With her teeth clenched, Gatomon shifted on his back and pressed down on one of the hard covers that protected the fragile wings with all of her might, using Lightning Paw to put more force behind her hold. With that down, Kuwagamon shrieked as he lost his balance and took a nose dive into the sand.

Tai stood back, shielding his face from the sand as it sprayed up. He nodded with approval. Not bad. He doubted they'd even need his help now.

As Kuwagamon made to get up, Patamon dive bombed him, blasting off a Boom Bubble attack. It struck right in the beetles face earning a rather Godzilla-like roar from Kuwagamon. Veemon took the opportunity to climb his way up on the Champion's back. He nodded to Gatomon and ran up along the back carapace towards the head. "Now be a good bug and stop causing trouble!" He accented his words with a good wallop to the top of Kuwagamon's head.

Davis hollered, pumping a fist in the air. "Yeah! Take him down guys!"

Kuwagamon snarled but when he tried to get up again, Gatomon slammed a Lightning Paw down on his head. Kuwagamon let out another furious roar that was cut short. Patamon bombarded him with another series of Boom Bubbles. The Champion raged and tried to throw the two Digimon on its back off. Gatomon held tight, but Veemon was sent sailing. The sand cushioned his fall and Veemon sat up, shaking his head to clear it. The joint attacks of Gatomon and Patamon kept Kuwagamon busy. Veemon took his chance and charged. He jumped and collided with Kuwagamon's gut, delivering a massive V-Headbutt. The combined blows sent Kuwagamon to his knees.

Eventually the bug had to surrender. The territory that he had taken from a Togemon was returned, and as he left, he seemed to grow oddly less aggressive.

Gatomon shook her head, trying to get some of the sand out of her white fur. "That was really easy, though now I'm sure I never want to fly unless I'm the one with the wings."

"I love flying." Patamon chuckled. He swooped over and landed on TK's head.

Veemon nodded in agreement with Patamon's statement. "I bet it would be really cool!"

Tai beamed as he looked over the younger kids. "Easy huh? You guys did great. Come on."

"Celebratory cake!" Agumon cheered, raising his hands up. Veemon got right in on that action, jogging to Agumon. The two lizard types spent the trip back eagerly discussing different types of cake and other treats; cookies and ice cream being some of the reoccurring mentions.

Along the way back to the portal, however, Kari frowned and came to a stop. "Kari? Something wrong?" Gatomon asked, looking up at her partner. The girl stared off into the sandstorm, brow furrowed as if she was trying to concentrate on something.

"Kari?" TK looked back at her. They were almost back to the gate. He stepped over and placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Earth to Kari, are you alright?"

She jumped a little and blinked at him, as if surprised he was there. "Huh? Oh...um...yeah, I'm fine." Kari glanced back in the direction she had been looking before nodding. "Yep, totally fine. Let's go."

"Hey! What's the hold up?" Agumon called back to them. The other four were already stationed in front of the TV, the two humans with their Digivices in hand.

"Coming!" Patamon called back. As he did so he shifted TK's hat, pushing it slightly askew.

The blond brought his hand down, lacing his fingers with Kari's. "Come on, you know Tai and Davis are impatient." he smiled lightly.

Kari clutched his hand and squeezed it, smiling back at him. "Right, we shouldn't keep them waiting." With one last, puzzled look over her shoulder, she let TK lead her to the TV.


End file.
